YHWH Nailgun is not a rapper. Those abbreviated letters don’t pledge allegiance to any hip-hop collective. “YHWH” is pronounced “Yahweh,” as in God in the Hebrew Bible, and YHWH Nailgun are four guys.

I t’s impossible to overstate Bootsy Collins‘ influence. Since joining James Brown‘s band 55 years ago this month, Collins has made sturdy, buoyant bass lines, which stretch out all over the place ...